HERCULES, Calif.—Bio-Rad Laboratories Inc., a venerable
manufacturer and distributor of life-science research and clinical
diagnostics
products, has acquired QuantaLife Inc. for $162
million in cash plus potential
future milestone payments.

In a frank assessment of the dominant reason for Bio-
Rad's
purchase decision, company president and CEO Norman Schwartz says, "We are
impressed with QuantaLife's digital PCR technology and believe it
will
complement Bio-Rad's existing amplification business. This elegant solution
expands the current state-of-the-art methods of quantitative PCR
(qPCR), and we
look forward to its adoption in life-science research."

Based in nearby
Pleasanton, Calif., QuantaLife was a
privately held life sciences company until the Bio-Rad purchase. It recently
commercialized the Droplet Digital
(ddPCR) system, which the company claims is
the most accurate genetic analysis platform available today. The system
provides researchers with a new
tool for the detection of rare mutations
including distinguishing rare sequences in tumors, precise measurement of copy
number variation and absolute
quantification of gene expression.

"The system is the first cost-effective, high-resolution
platform available
for the validation of next-generation sequencing
discoveries. It is easy to use, easy to automate and easy to integrate into
existing workflows in both
life science and clinical research labs. With the ddPCR
system, researchers can explore complex genetic landscapes in high-definition,
discover new
disease associations and define a new category of improved
molecular diagnostic tests," the company said in a media release.

Based on an analysis of the personalized medicine market,
Frost & Sullivan recognized QuantaLife Inc. with the 2011 North American
Frost &
Sullivan Award for New Product Innovation for its ddPCR System.

"The QuantaLife ddPCR system
introduces the next generation
of PCR by providing absolute quantification of nucleic acid molecules, a
capability that could play a significant role
in the development of companion
diagnostics and the emergence of personalized medicine–a role that has long
been held by real-time PCR (qPCR)," noted
Frost & Sullivan in granting the
award.

"By allowing for detection of nucleic acids at
higher
resolution and lower target levels, Droplet Digital PCR has the ability to
identify diseases earlier in progression, providing a major advantage
for
diagnostics and preventative medicine," says Dr. Bill Colson, founder and CEO
of QuantaLife.

"Essentially, this new technology provides even more precise
measurements than the gold-standard qPCR methods," says Frost & Sullivan
industry analyst Christi Bird. "The unmatched resolution allows detection of
target molecules at extremely low levels, which has major implications for
not
only precise life science research applications, but also early diagnosis of
disease and development of accurate companion diagnostics for
personalized healthcare."

QuantaLife's system consists of two instruments, the droplet
generator and the droplet reader. The droplet generator divides each sample
into 20,000 one-nanoliter droplets. The samples are transferred onto plates
and
moved to a standard thermal cycler where the targeted DNA/RNA molecules are
amplified using readily available qPCR assays. The amplified samples
are then
returned to QuantaLife's Droplet Reader where the droplets are streamed
single-file past a two-color fluorescence detector that reads each
droplet as
either positive or negative for the target DNA/RNA molecules. The system
software then determines the concentration of the selected target
in the
original sample and provides absolute quantification in digital form.

The ddPCR technology
provides several advantages over
traditional real-time PCR. In particular, the system can better detect the
difference between samples with similar
genomic structures, a major advantage
in determining copy number variation. This precise technology can also identify
a ±10 percent difference in gene
expression between samples. The instrument can
also detect a rare difference against a similar and common background.

Founded in
1952, Bio-Rad is headquartered in Hercules,
Calif., and serves more than 100,000 research and industry customers worldwide
through its global network
of operations. The company employs over 6,800 people
and had revenues exceeding $1.9 billion in 2010.